Bossa Nova reigns

I thought Sitti singing her bossa nova tunes was an oddity. I said it was a fad that couldn’t last. I was wrong. But then no one could have thought that an old form of Latin music could give the Pinoy rock bands a big run for their money. Very unlikely is in this day and age and in trendy Manila at that. A few months ago, Latin music here was what they performed in dance competitions and not for the casual dancer. Nowadays, it is the mellow romantic rhythm of the bossa nova that everybody seems to like grooving to.

Why so? Maybe it was the natural progression of pop into its older, better form, which is jazz. Maybe today’s frenetic lifestyles call for music that is unobtrusive in much the same way that yoga has taken over aerobics. Maybe it was the reaction of the coffee drinking yuppies against the freewheeling music of the local bands in the beer joints. Too much, too noisy, too many of them. Bossa nova provides just the right antidote. Whatever the reason, bossa nova is here to stay. Give it at least a year at the top of the charts, after which, it might return to its former category in the bin marked standards.

If you will check out the local music shops, you will find a rich harvest of bossa nova albums, nearly all of them are by local artists. Some are good, very well produced and able to stand up against the foreigners. These are not really authentic bossa nova that local listeners might find quaintly old-fashioned. Most are merely pop songs arranged in a Latin jazz style. I believe though that this is just how the Filipino buyer likes it. Somewhat ambiguous, just like what Filipino culture is.

Here are some of the better titles available. I’d say that these are the best buys for those just starting to get into the bossa nova mode, aside, of course from the Astrud Gilberto collection, Coffee and Bossa, which is a must have because it is the real thing.

First off, here are two albums that easily accomplished what a lot of local albums set out to do. One is bring a moribund career to life. Agot Isidro was one of the biggest pop stars of the ’90s. Sa Isip Ko and Beginning Today were some of her hits. Then trends changed. Agot remained active in showbusiness but stopped recording. Now she’s back and doing very well with The Island, a bossa nova album that mixes bits of Latin jazz and pop.

Songs included are I Wish That I was Making Love to You Tonight, Alone at Last, Bato sa Buhangin, I’ll Tumble for You, Corcovado, Dindi, So Many Stars, As Lanca Perfume, Waters of March featuring Mon David, Hanggang Kailan (Umuwi Ka Na Baby) and The Island.

The other one is the VST & Co. Bossa Nova Collection. Somebody deserves a gold medal for coming up with this idea. Take old Pilipino pop songs and turn them into bossa nova. The songs in this case are some of the biggest by one of the most important groups of the Manila Sound era. Mostly composed by Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon they have remained top favorites up to now. But with the additional dose of adrenalin powered by the bossa nova, you can bet that the music of VST & Co. will be around for a longer time.

The songs are Disco Fever, Awitin Mo at Isasayaw Ko, Rock Baby Rock, Ikaw ang Aking Mahal, Kiss…Kiss, Etcetera, Mabuti Pa Nung Bata, Magnifica, Magsayawan, Step No Step Yes, Sige Lang, May I Have This Dance, Ipagpatawad and Swing.

The Bossa Nova Experience by Isabella Ortega: Some might even find this a better choice than the Astrud compilation because there are familiar titles not usually associated with Latin music. Ortega’s vocals has just enough Latin and just enough pop and is so easy on the ears. And because she is not Astrud, she can do other Latin stuff like Sergio Mendez and Brazil 66.

Some cuts are: A Certain Sadness, One Note Samba, Call Me, The Trouble with Hello is Goodbye, The Shadow of Your Smile, I Wish You Love, Fly Me to the Moon, Shaker Song, Love City, Hey Look at the Sun, Here’s That Rainy Day, Meditation, Where is the Love and Wave.

Ortega’s bossa nova sound must be selling very well because she already has a second, more pop, volume out. The cuts here are songs that anybody recording an oldies album would choose to include.

Another Bossa Nova Experience has Walk on By, If I Ever Lose This Heaven, So Many Stars, Love is Stronger Far Than We, It Takes Too Long, Didn’t We, So Nice, Traces, Terminal, Don’t Know Why, If, Waters of March and others.